A/N: Truncated, but please still mind the rating. MATURE, eh? ;-) Just making sure.

Also, a lot of people are asking where else I posted. I'm so sorry. This is my only publisher, for now. That being said, I think I'll email in the full version for Church of Lemons 2013. What do you guys think? :-) I'm sorry it'll be such a wait, but I hope it's worth it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

It's amazing how a little bit of rain can heal a land. The vegetation thrives. The air becomes crisp and cool. The soul finds its youthful longing, again, for the outdoors.

What's one day? A few hours. A little bit of time off of work couldn't hurt anyone.

So Relena found herself in her garden, playing hooky after a long week of troubles and obstacles; heavy thoughts as dark as the shadowy clouds that had hung overhead. Now, she and the land were both free; cleansed by the rain and ready to start anew.

And for that, she was prepared to celebrate.

Standing in her flower garden, behind her home, Relena looked over the tree covered hills of her land. It had been months since she'd seen her hidden sanctuary. For years, Relena knew of a place on the Darlian land where no one ever went. Her adoptive father used to take her there, when he could make the time. Once she was old enough to risk the trip, alone, he went up and hung a tire swing by the water, to occupy her during her adventures.

Smiling at the thought of the flying sensation the swing used to offer, and the cool kiss of the fresh spring water on her toes, Relena decided it was time to get away. Just a short visit to the waterfall would be enough to make her feel carefree, again.

Slipping out of her comfortable heels and shedding her lavender suit jacket, she began the trek. With each step, she reacquainted her bare, pedicure pampered feet to the bite of nature's floor. Each pebble hurt less than the last; each scratch less noticed than the one before it.

Making her way up by the babbling brook, Relena couldn't shake the sense that she was being watched. Glancing back, as casually as possible, she would check, every few minutes, to see if she could catch sight of the presence, but she was never fast enough. As she traveled on, she began to wonder if what she sensed was nothing more than a spirit haunting the woods, or perhaps an overworked girl's guilty conscience.

When she reached the opening, the scene took her breath away, again. The water had marched perfectly in line, well behaved between the banks of the stream, waiting patiently for its freedom, until it finally reached the cliff above. As it tumbled free for those short milliseconds, it celebrated by wastefully spraying its joy upon everything, living and not, that surrounded it. The beautiful irony of the short lived freedom, followed by the water's regrouping and moving on, was not lost on the former princess and queen, turned overworked politician, as she, too, celebrated a short reprieve before she would humbly fall into formation, again, come morning.

As the tiny droplets slowly drenched her face and body, Relena smiled, reveling in the feeling of the coolness around her, and even in her now saturated breaths. Allowing herself to feel unwatched and alone for a just a few moments, she ignored how the water turned her silk white blouse translucent and how her nipples pebbled under her thin, satin bra.

Feeling brave, she stepped out, taking on more of the water. Her now scratched and tired feet cried for joy as they settled under her weight on the cool, smooth surface of a stream-polished rock. As her legs moved under her, leaping from stone to stone, they twisted and spun giving her the illusion and feeling of dance.

"I certainly hope you can swim," a deep voice suddenly called from higher in the tree line.

Relena grinned, looking over her should at the shadows of the woods. "It's been a while but I think I can manage. Not that I intend to fall in."

"If you don't intend to fall in, perhaps it would be in your best interest to stop gallivanting on those slippery rocks," he said in an emotionless tone.

"They're not too slippery for the grip of my toes."

"Until you accidentally land on a patch of moss."

Relena turned, fully smiling at speaking tree, only glancing down to ensure the securing of the steps that brought her closer to him. "What are you doing here, Heero Yuy?" She asked.

"Watching out for you."

"From a tree?" Her eyes finally adjusted enough to see him.

Heero sat on the wide limb of a young oak tree, only a hundred years old or so, a good eight to ten feet above the ground. The leg nearest the water, and Relena, was lifted, allowing him to rest his arm; he leaned against main body of the oak, his second leg dangling free to anchor him. How he had gotten into such a position unnoticed was beyond her, as she was sure she'd have made a fuss getting up, but it was nothing that could surprise her, considering the man.

"Come down from there," she suggested, smirking with playful mirth.

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "You come up," he challenged in jest.

The sound of her wet feet padding away gave him a short-lived sense of satisfaction, but when he opened his eyes, she was still facing him, just a few paces further back than before.

"Challenge accepted," she answered, breaking into a sudden sprint. When her wet feet hit the tree, they hadn't time to protest before their wet grip adhered to the texture of the bark, clinging to the perpendicular surface just long enough to thrust her body upward in motion. With both arms, Relena reached up, grabbing at the branch—but she came short.

Without thinking, Heero's hand flew out to catch her, swinging her relatively light body up to him by the arm. Suddenly, Relena Darlian was before him, yards above ground, and trying to adjust to straddle the thick plant in a lavender pencil skirt and a white silk blouse. A soaking wet white silk blouse.

Heero's body tensed, clearing his throat in disapproval.

Giggling at her seemingly pointless triumph, Relena wiggled back from him, just enough to adjust her position. The skirt, of course, as unforgiving as they are, had to be hiked up, baring her soft thighs to the biting aggression of the bark texture she was settled on.

Heero's eyes went straight to the newly uncovered skin, as though pulled against their will by a string of primal curiosity. "You must be uncomfortable," he commented coldly, hintig that the Vice Foreign Minister did not belong in a tree in her work clothes—especially when that meant arranging herself nearly in his lap.

"It's not that bad," she said in a mischievous tone, still empowered by the feel of nature's kiss. "I hear losing my virginity will be much worse."

Heero turned away, closing his eyes and concentrating on keeping his face blank as his mind began dissecting exactly what she said, and all the details that would go into testing the theory.

"I couldn't see you, you know," she offered. "Stalking me."

Heero slowly opened his eyes, rolling his gaze to her. "I know."

She grinned. "Why did you out yourself?"

He closed his eyes, again, to fight their desire to roam. "It felt too much like 'stalking'—considering the view."

When he glanced back at her, Relena looked perplexed.

Frowning, he held a finger up in front of her, slowly, and carefully maintaining his distance, guiding her vision down to her chest. The violet colored satin greeted her, fully exposed by the water she'd taken on. Thinking about how exposed she was did nothing for her low body temperature. She shivered, causing her nearly relaxed nipples to become erect, again—and this time only inches from Heero, and very much visible.

"Oh," she whispered, allowing a small blush as she tried to manage the intensity of her embarrassment. "And since you could clearly see that I was cold, why didn't you offer me your jacket?"

Heero looked down at the brown and green leather coat insulating his arms and found himself unable to explain all the reasons he hadn't offer. Accepting defeat, he leaned over her, enough to lift his legs under him, and then he rose to a standing position in the tree. Shrugging out of the jacket, he revealed that he'd paired his jeans with his classic, plain green tank top, underneath which his body had fully matured; his torso was bulging in all the right places, his broad chest greeting her, alongside his toned and glistening bronze shoulders.

The heavy leather suddenly dropped close to Relena, causing her to jump from her trance. Smiling with triumph, she wrapped it around her, not even bothering to close the front. After all, if he was so bothered by how visible her cleavage was, forcing him to look at it must only be making her points.

Seeing her in his oversized garment had the exact effect on his emotions that he had feared. It gave her an air of belonging, as though his coat marked his territory. Feeling uncomfortable with the primeval instinct, he tried to distract his thoughts.

Heero lowered himself back down in front of her, when she prompted. Once he was settled, she moved close, again.

"You're in my lap," he complained, narrowing his eyes.

"Surely I'm not the first woman who's been this close," she purred.

Heero's face remained a stone, but the skin flushed red and Relena could see the increase in the rate of pulses pushing through the carotid arteries of his defined neck.

Feeling a little more daring, she leaned forward, allowing the tree to push her skirt up still more, until she was almost sure he could see her underwear, should he look. The power of teasing him felt like a narcotic, rushing through her veins. The pleasure and anticipation made her body hum. Even the rough texture of the bark felt like a relief against her throbbing core.

The change in Relena's behavior didn't slip unnoticed past the reserved Gundam Pilot. With her light blue eyes, the dilation of her pupils was obvious, and her refusal to close the jacket showed that even with the protection of the warm coat, Relena's body was still reacting to something.

"Relena," he warned in a quiet, dark tone.

She gave him a crooked grin, raking his body suggestively as she inched still closer.

This time, he could clearly see the violet bikini briefs peeping out from under a very uncomfortable looking skirt. Considering how to give it one last fight, Heero's hand came demandingly around Relena's upper arm. He pulled her face close to his to scold her, but the tickle of her breath on his skin did him in. Heero's eyes slid shut, his mouth coming down over hers in a very heated kiss.

Moaning in approval, Relena wrapped her arms around his waist, trusting him completely with her weight. The hand he'd used to seize her shoulder came up, around her face

She'd swear she heard him growl when her erect nipples grazed his chest.

He ripped his lips away, suddenly. "Relena."

She froze, nervous he was angry.

"This is a mistake," he said.

A blush filled her cheeks as she considered his argument, pulling her hand back to the wood below to steady herself. "I'm sorry," she answered.

He sighed, allowing his shoulders to relax some. Relena was still there, too close for him to raise his leg between them, again—and barely dressed, at that. He'd never been so aware of her. He turned away, scanning the hillside as he tried to clear his mind.

Relena's eyes lingered on the water running down the stream as she tried to calm her heated body. She was just enjoying time off, all alone, with a boy, in a tree—a very handsome boy—all alone.

She huffed, scratching at her up do with boredom.

"Why are you out here by yourself, anyway?"

Relena smiled, not looking up at him. She knew he wasn't looking at her, either, and she understood that the conversation would need to be less personal after their little "mistake". "I used to come up here when I was younger. I guess I was just wondering if it still holds the same magic, now, that it did then."

"And does it?"

Relena gave a light laugh, closing her eyes. Apparently, she thought sardonically.

Her pass on answering aloud let the silence to linger between them. Heero leaned his head back against the tree as the gentle serenade of the birds and the water engulfed them. Quiet between the two had never been awkward. It was, in fact, comfortable. Relena found that with Heero she needed to give no answers, which made her feel safe enough to often bear her heart to him. He never required it, and seldom even prompted her for the information, but he was the only one who truly knew her deepest secrets.

In this moment, so close to the edge between friendship and more, she fought to hold back the honesty that had always spurred development in their relationship. Sighing, she unconsciously leaned forward as she slouched, dropping her head into the cradle of his shoulder. With one hand, Heero held their balance, as the other came up to rub her back comfortingly.

Something intangible changed in the atmosphere when he looked down at the top of her head. Refusing the move, she opened her eyes, feeling his thoughtfulness. Relena felt herself tense, her nerves rattled with questions of what had happened and what he was planning ot say or do next.

"You shouldn't be up here."

She smiled, though he couldn't see it. "By the water or in the tree?"

"Tree."

"And why not? It's perfectly safe for you."

"You don't look very comfortable."

Oh. Those clothing paradox was really distracting him. "Next time I'll wear jeans," she quipped.

"Hn."

He didn't move. He was still staring at her. Feeling his studying gaze was encouraging her curiosity. Giving up the battle, she slowly pulled her head from his arm, lifting her eyes to meet his. She hadn't realized just how close she had gotten when she kissed him. She could see every detail in his Prussian blue irises. She was rather sure she could actually see through his soul at this range.

In the shadows of the trees, she wasn't sure how much the darkness of his already midnight blue eyes was out of character, until she saw his nose flare, ever so slightly. Fighting to hide a smile, she gambled. Relena looked longingly back to his lips, and then his eyes, again. His eyes darkened more. He was definitely responding.

Relena inched forward, throwing off the couple's balance just enough to get Heero to adjust. He was forced to lift his leg back up, behind her, to hold them in place. The change pulled Relena's pelvis closer, skirt sliding higher, around her hips, so her core fit neatly against his. Her hands came free with the movement, out from between them. It didn't matter how hard he tried to keep a poker face, she could feel his thoughts, now.

She brought one arm to his bicep to steady herself, gracing the other over her shoulder and up her neck in what seemed a cross between a suggestive tease and a casual stretch. As her fingers caressed her twisted and teased hair, she released the clip allowing it to cascade down her back and a burst of golden blonde.

A very defined hardening below her answered. He liked that.

When she met his gaze, again, he looked away. His breaths were shallow and heavy as he began to show visible signs of losing control.

"You can't do this," he growled.

"And why not?"

Heero swallowed, his eyes shifting as he tried to find something to focus on in the distance. "Because," he said quietly. "I am only human."

Taking charge, Relena ran her free hand down his jaw line to his chin, smiling as his breath caught. She pulled gently but firmly, forcing him to look at her. She put on her most sinister grin, quickly followed by the nervous tick of biting her lip as she moved her face closer. His muscles became extremely tense as she pressed her forehead to his, searching him.

"Prove it," she whispered.

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"A tree," she laughed quietly, looking into his eyes.

He nodded, still breathing heavily.

"I guess we've never been that normal, have we?"

He shook his head.

He straddled the limb in front of her, so she could rest her head on his shoulder, again. "I'll help you down," he offered.

She turned to face the running water beside them with a sleepy smile on her face. "Not yet," she whispered.

To this moment, their friendship had marched perfectly in line, well behaved between the banks of the stream, waiting patiently for their freedom, until they finally reached the cliff of change. As they tumbled free for those short minutes, they celebrated by wastefully pouring their joy upon everything, living and not, that surrounded them. They celebrated the short reprieve before they would humbly fall into formation, again, come morning.